The following is a list of notable gothic rock

Gothic rock

Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...

 bands in alphabetical order.

Band names shown in italics are those bands generally considered to be (or to have been) especially influential upon the wider Goth scene or subculture's stylistic/aesthetic evolution and/or on the musical evolution of subsequent gothic bands. This is, of course, a topic of continuing debate/personal beliefs. Therefore, no allusion to authority or comprehensiveness is intended.

A

• Alien Sex Fiend
  Alien Sex Fiend
  Alien Sex Fiend is a deathrock band from the UK, composed of the married couple Nik Fiend and Mrs. Fiend . Currently, the band is based in Cardiff, Wales.-History:...
  
  
• And Also The Trees
  And also the trees
  And Also The Trees are an English rock band, formed in 1979 in the United Kingdom. They are most notable for their poetic lyrics and evocative music which is strongly influenced by their native English countryside.-History :...
  
  
• Andi Sexgang
  Andi Sexgang
  Andi Sexgang was vocalist of the band Sex Gang Children who were a prominent act in the Gothic rock movement of the 1980s, his band played once at the infamous Batcave club...
  
  
• Astrovamps
  Astrovamps
  Astrovamps were an American deathrock group. It was formed in the early 1990s by Daniel Ian andEyajo Joseph.-History:Astrovamps released their first two records on cassette from 1991–1993, "Savage Garden" and "Blood And Flowers." In 1992,...
  
  
• Ausgang
  Ausgang
  -History:Ausgang formed from the ashes of previous band Kabuki. Some members had also been members of another band, The Solicitors. Max , Cub and Matthew were all previously in Kabuki, the band releasing one single before splitting up...
  
  

B

• Bauhaus
  Bauhaus (band)
  Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
  
  
• Balaam and the Angel
  Balaam and the Angel
  Balaam and the Angel is a rock band formed in Cannock, England, during 1984.The three founding members members of the band, the Morris brothers, are Scottish. As children in Motherwell, they worked in the entertainment industry as part of a cabaret act...
  
  
• Bella Morte
  Bella Morte
  Bella Morte is a gothic band that was formed in 1996 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They also incorporate elements of metal, darkwave, deathrock, alternative, and synthpop. The name is Italian for "beautiful death."...
  
  
• Big Electric Cat
  Big Electric Cat
  Big Electric Cat is a gothic rock group from Sydney, Australia, formed by musicians Paul Sadler and Deborah Denton, who had moved from London to Sydney in 1989. In 1991, inspired by Philip K...
  
  
• The Birthday Massacre
  The Birthday Massacre
  The Birthday Massacre is a synthrock band, based in Toronto, Canada. The band formed in 1999, known then as Imagica...
  
  
• Bitter Grace
  Bitter Grace
  Bitter Grace is a Manhattan goth rock band active since around 1985. Formed by Gustavo Lapis Ahumad in New York City, the band is known for their live set that includes lighting, smoke and theatrical effects. Plagued with consistent line-up changes over the past two decades, the band still plays...
  
  
• The Bolshoi
  The Bolshoi
  The Bolshoi were a London-based music group prominent mostly in the mid-late 1980s. They are best known for the hits "Sunday Morning" and "A way" or "Away" .-History:...
  
  

C

• Caelum Bliss
  Caelum Bliss
  Caelum Bliss was a goth band from Detroit, Michigan circa 1993-1999.Formed by guitarist/producer Tony Hamera, Caelum Bliss took the Detroit underground by storm, gaining critical acclaim & gigging alongside artists such as Christian Death, Shadow Project, Chris Connelly & Placebo...
  
  
• Cauda Pavonis
  Cauda Pavonis
  Cauda Pavonis are a UK Deathrock band founded in 1998, by Su Farr and Dave Wainwright. Originally conceived as a 'dark romantic' experience, Cauda Pavonis broke onto the UK goth circuit supporting acts such as Star Industry and Inkubus Sukkubus...
  
  
• Children on Stun
  Children on Stun
  Children on Stun is the name of a gothic rock band from England. Formed in 1991, the original line-up consisted of Neil Ash, Simon Manning, Simon Treen and Pete Finnemore.-Biography:...
  
  
• Christian Death
  Christian Death
  Christian Death is an American deathrock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979. The band was founded and fronted by Rozz Williams. Christian Death is most notable for their first album Only Theatre of Pain....
  
  
• Clan of Xymox
  Clan of Xymox
  The band Clan of Xymox, also known as Xymox, formed in the Netherlands in 1981. Clan Of Xymox featured a trio of songwriters - Pieter Nooten, Ronny Moorings and Anke [also Anka] Wolbert - and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on a prestigious independent UK label, a...
  
  
• Claytown Troupe
  Claytown Troupe
  Claytown Troupe are a gothic rock band from Bristol, Bath and Weston-super-Mare, England.-Career:The band was formed in 1984 by lead singer Christian Riou, who claimed in an NME interview that a local clairvoyant advised him to form a band called "the Clayton Troop". By 1986, Claytown Troupe had...
  
  
• Corpus Delicti
  Corpus Delicti (band)
  Corpus Delicti were a gothic rock band active in the early-mid 1990s. In the late '90s, they incarnated as an industrial rock band called Corpus.-Members:*Sébastien Pietrapiana alias "Sebastian" - Vocals and synths...
  
  
• Cocteau Twins
  Cocteau Twins
  Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
  
  
• Crisis
• The Crüxshadows
  The Crüxshadows
  The Crüxshadows is an Dark Electro group from Florida. Their sound is made up of a combination of male vocals, electric violin, guitar, and synth...
  
  
• The Cult
  The Cult
  The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
  
  
• The Cure
  The Cure
  The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
  
  

D

• The Damned
• The Danse Society
• Dead Artist Syndrome
  Dead Artist Syndrome
  Dead Artist Syndrome is a gothic rock band formed in 1990, Orange County, California. The group consists of singer-songwriter Brian Healy and a rotating cast of side men. Healy was dubbed the "father of Christian goth" by Rozz Williams, and is an ordained minister. His debut album Prints of...
  
  
• Dead Can Dance
  Dead Can Dance
  Dead Can Dance are an ethereal neoclassical duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1981, by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. The band relocated to London in May 1982 and disbanded in 1998. Their 1996 album Spiritchaser reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums Chart...
  
  
• Death Cult
  The Cult
  The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
  
  
• Diva Destruction
  Diva Destruction
  Diva Destruction is an American darkwave project. It was formed by singer/songwriterDebra Fogarty in 1998.-History:Diva Destruction was formed in 1998 by Debra Fogarty. Shortly after, Diva Destruction signed to German music label Alice In... of the Dark Dimensions label group...
  
  
• Dominion
• Dream Disciples
  Dream Disciples
  Dream Disciples were a British band, formed in 1990 by Col Lowing , Sid Bratley and Stephen McKean . Soon joined by Scott Prentice on drums, they made their debut with the mini-album Veil of Tears. They were later joined by Gordon Young and Karl North...
  
  

F

• Faith and the Muse
  Faith and the Muse
  Faith and the Muse is an American, underground gothic/darkwave band composed of two musicians, Monica Richards and William Faith. They are well regarded in the gothic music scene as innovators and icons. Their music encompasses many genres, from folk-style songs to darker compositions. Richards is...
  
  
• Feeding Fingers
  Feeding Fingers
  Feeding Fingers is a music trio founded by award-winning multimedia artist, musician, author, animator and artist, Justin Curfman. The band was founded in 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia, but has since relocated to Germany.-Formation :...
  
  
• Fields of the Nephilim
  Fields of the Nephilim
  Fields of the Nephilim are an English gothic rock band formed in Stevenage, Hertfordshire in 1984. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Carl McCoy, saxophonist Gary Whisker, Tony Pettitt on bass, guitarist Paul Wright and drummer Alexander "Nod" Wright...
  
  
• Flesh for Lulu
  Flesh for Lulu
  Flesh for Lulu was an Alternative rock/Gothic band formed in Brixton, London, UK, and was active between 1982 and 1992. Their music was a mix of the New York Dolls and Rolling Stones with gothic rock's gloomy atmosphere and aesthetics.-History:...
  
  
• Frank the Baptist
  Frank the Baptist
  Frank the Baptist is an American gothic rock/alternative rock band founded in San Diego, California by frontman Frank Vollmann.-History:Strobelight Records was founded to release their first album, Different Degrees of Empty, in 2003, and all of the band's following albums have been released by the...
  
  

G

• Gary Numan
  Gary Numan
  Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
  
  
• Gene Loves Jezebel
  Gene Loves Jezebel
  Gene Loves Jezebel are a gothic rock band from the early 1980s, now two separate bands of the same name, founded by identical twin brothers, Michael and Jay Aston .-Early years: 1980-1989:...
  
  
• Ghost Dance
  Ghost Dance (band)
  Ghost Dance were a British gothic rock and post-punk band. formed in 1985 by Gary Marx and Anne-Marie Hurst as both were leaving their respective bands...
  
  
• Gitane Demone
  Gitane Demone
  Gitane Demone is a singer and musician. She was a member of Christian Death in the 1980s, and is currently a solo artist.-Pompeii 99 and Christian Death:...
  
  
• Gloria Mundi
  Gloria Mundi
  Gloria Mundi was an early punk rock/gothic rock band. The name comes from the Latin for the glory of the world. This could be a reference to the phrase "Sic transit gloria mundi" meaning "this is how the glory of the world passes"....
  
  

J

• Jack off Jill
  Jack Off Jill
  Jack Off Jill was an American alternative rock band from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1992 by Jessica Fodera, Tenni Arslanyan, Robin Moulder, and Michelle Oliver. Though these four young women were the initial founders, twelve members rotated through the group in its lifespan, including...
  
  
• James Ray & The Performance
  James Ray (rock musician)
  James Ray is a rock singer and band-leader, best known as a member of Andrew Eldritch's side-project The Sisterhood and for his own band James Rays Gangwar....
  
  
• James Rays Gangwar
  James Ray (rock musician)
  James Ray is a rock singer and band-leader, best known as a member of Andrew Eldritch's side-project The Sisterhood and for his own band James Rays Gangwar....
  
  
• Jesus & Mary Chain
• Joy Division
  Joy Division
  Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
  
  

L

• The Last Days of Jesus
  The Last Days of Jesus
  The Last Days Of Jesus is a Slovak Progressive Goth Rock band. They formed in Bratislava in May 1993 to combine the spirit of old school Batcave and Deathrock with new musical sounds and patterns. The name originates from a headline band member MaryO read in an American newspaper.-History:MaryO...
  
  
• Libitina
  Libitina (band)
  Libitina is a British Gothic band formed in 1994 by University of Sheffield students. The band has released five albums on its own Libation Records label. Originally formed as a four-piece with Danny on vocals, the band pared down to a three-piece in early 1996...
  
  
• London After Midnight
  London After Midnight (band)
  London After Midnight is a project formed in the 1990s by songwriter and instrumentalist Sean Brennan. It is active to the present day....
  
  
• The Lords of the New Church
  The Lords of the New Church
  The Lords of the New Church were an English/American post-punk supergroup with a line-up consisting of four musicians from prominent 1970s punk bands...
  
  
• Love and Rockets
  Love and Rockets (band)
  Love and Rockets were an English alternative rock band formed in 1985 by former Bauhaus members Daniel Ash , David J , and Kevin Haskins . Former Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy had embarked on a solo career after Bauhaus split in 1983...
  
  
• Love Like Blood
  Love Like Blood
  Love Like Blood is a German gothic rock/gothic metal band.- Biography :Its nucleus consists of Eysel brothers . The band was active in the years 1989-2001 and is now on hiatus. Its early sound reminisces the style of The Fields of the Nephilim...
  
  
• Lycia
  Lycia (band)
  Lycia is a darkwave/gothic rock band that was formed in 1988, Tempe, Arizona, United States. The main personnel of the band are Mike VanPortfleet, Tara Vanflower, David Galas and . Although only achieving minor cult success, the band is notable for being one of the ground breaking groups in...
  
  

M

• The Machine in the Garden
  The Machine in the Garden (band)
  The Machine in the Garden is a music duo featuring Roger Fracé and Summer Bowman. They have released six full-length albums and one EP. Their music is a blend of different genres, such as synthpop, trip hop, electronica and gothic rock.-History:...
  
  
• The March Violets
  The March Violets
  The March Violets are an English goth rock band of the 1980s, incorporating singers of both sexes, drum machine rhythms and echo laden electric guitar, much in the way of scene mates The Sisters of Mercy, who also originated from the city of Leeds...
  
  
• Mephisto Walz
  Mephisto Walz
  Mephisto Walz are a gothic rock group formed in 1985. They have an accomplished discography behind them, having released many full-length albums over the course of their career, through Cleopatra Records and other labels...
  
  
• The Merry Thoughts
  The Merry Thoughts
  -History:Formed in 1983 by Carsten Mainz and Olaf Wollschläger in Neuss, Germany.Marvin Arkham joined and after first playing the synthesizer, he became the singer...
  
  
• Miranda Sex Garden
  Miranda Sex Garden
  Miranda Sex Garden were a music group from London, England. Formed in 1990, they were originally a trio of madrigal singers. Their first album, Madra , was entirely a cappella, with the songs all based on traditional English verse...
  
  
• The Mission
  The Mission (band)
  The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
  
  
• Mistle Thrush
  Mistle Thrush (Band)
  Mistle Thrush was a female-fronted 1990s alternative rock band based in Boston, Massachusetts. They've been described by the Boston Herald as The Cure-meets-Fairport Convention. Steve Morse of The Boston Globe wrote that Valerie Forgione, the band's singer, has "some of the most versatile pipes...
  
  
• Mors Syphilitica
  Mors Syphilitica
  Mors Syphilitica is a Gothic rock/Ethereal band formed in 1995 in New York City by Lisa Hammer and Eric Hammer after the breakup of Requiem in White. Their music combines often-surreal lyrics with unusual instruments such as the mandolin and banjo, as well more conventional instruments such as the...
  
  
• Musta Paraati
  Musta Paraati
  Musta Paraati were a Finnish gothic rock band. Despite the fact that the band was alive only for a couple of years, their lineup changed many times.-Members:Last lineup:*Epe *Sande *Jesu...
  
  

R

• Radio Werewolf
  Radio Werewolf
  Radio Werewolf was an deathrock band formed in 1984 in Los Angeles. The band split in the early 90s, and Nikolas Schreck and Zeena Lavey continued making music.-History:...
  
  
• Razed in Black
  Razed in Black
  Razed in Black is an gothic electronic music act created by Romell Regulacion and is supported in live performances by band members Chris Nelson and Raj Kapololu....
  
  
• Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
  Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
  Red Lorry Yellow Lorry are a rock band that were formed in Leeds, England in early 1981.- History :The band was formed by guitarist/songwriter Chris Reed and vocalist Mark Sweeney, along with bassist Steve Smith and drummer Mick Brown...
  
  
• Rhea's Obsession
  Rhea's Obsession
  Rhea's Obsession, which takes its name from the Greek goddess, Rhea, is a band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Their music mixes several different styles including gothic rock, darkwave, and world music, similar to Dead Can Dance.-Brief history:...
  
  
• Rosetta Stone
  Rosetta Stone (band)
  Rosetta Stone were a British goth band formed in the mid 1980s by Porl King and Karl North , plus their drum machine and synthesizer rack nicknamed "Madame Razor"....
  
  
• Rozz Williams
  Rozz Williams
  Rozz Williams was an American vocalist and musician of several varieties, most famous for fronting the band Christian Death, then later Shadow Project with musician Eva O, though his main project throughout his career was the industrial, Premature Ejaculation...
  
  

S

• Scarling.
  Scarling.
  Scarling. is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, whose core members are Jessicka and Christian Hejnal-Addams. The band formed in 2002. They have released two albums, Sweet Heart Dealer and So Long, Scarecrow.-Name:...
  
  
• Screaming Dead
  Screaming Dead
  Screaming Dead were a positive punk band from Cheltenham formed in 1980, who have often been characterized as "horror punk". They released several singles and EPs with indie chart success, before splitting up in 1985...
  
  
• Second Skin
  Second Skin (band)
  Second Skin is a gothic rock band which formed in 1992.Second Skin's release, Illa Exuro In Silentium the band's fourth studio album is the long awaited follow up to the band's Black Eyed Angel that appeared in 1995.-Albums:...
  
  
• Sex Gang Children
  Sex Gang Children
  The Sex Gang Children are a positive punk group that formed in the early 1980s in England. Although the original group only released one official studio album, they remain one of the more well-known bands out of the early Batcave scene and have reformed for new albums and touring various times...
  
  
• Shadow Project
  Shadow Project
  Shadow Project were a deathrock band formed in the early 1990s with Rozz Williams, Eva O and Paris Sadonis. The band's first album included bassist Jill Emery and drummer Thomas Morgan....
  
  
• Siouxsie and the Banshees
• The Sisterhood
  The Sisterhood
  For movie, See The Sisterhood The Sisterhood was a side project by Sisters of Mercy singer Andrew Eldritch that recorded songs, which he had intended for a second Sisters album, with guest musicians.- Background :...
  
  
• The Sisters of Mercy
  The Sisters of Mercy
  The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
  
  
• Skeletal Family
  Skeletal Family
  Skeletal Family were an English gothic rock band which formed in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England in December 1982. The band formed from the remaining membership of an earlier group, called The Elements, and took their name from the title of the song "Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family"...
  
  
• Solemn Novena
  Solemn Novena
  Solemn Novena were a gothic rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland.-History:Solemn Novena formed in early 2006 in Belfast, Northern Ireland...
  
  
• Southern Death Cult
  Southern Death Cult
  Southern Death Cult was an English positive punk band in the early 1980s. It is now primarily known for having given its lead singer and parts of its name to the multi-platinum hard rock supergroup The Cult...
  
  
• Specimen
  Specimen (band)
  Specimen are a British band formed in the 1980s. Their music has been described as spanning many different genres of music, including glam, goth, punk and post-punk, and the band is widely credited as one of the pioneers of the Gothic movement, both musically and stylistically.-Early days:The band...
  
  
• Strange Boutique
  Strange Boutique
  Strange Boutique was a band from Washington, D.C.. They were active between the years of 1987 and 1994 and released 4 full-length albums and 2 live albums on the Bedazzled Records label. They are also featured on several compilation albums...
  
  
• Super Heroines
  Super Heroines
  The Super Heroines was a Deathrock trio formed in Los Angeles, California during the early 1980s. However, unlike other early deathrock bands such as Christian Death and 45 Grave, Sueper Heroines did not carry on a traditional Goth sound, instead a more punk style metal inspired by The Runaways.Its...
  
  
• Suspiria
  Suspiria (band)
  Suspiria were a Darkwave/gothic rock band from England. Formed in 1993 the line-up consisted of Matthew Carl Lucian and Mark Tansley.-History:Suspiria were a groundbreaking goth/darkwave band from Nottingham England between 1993-1998...
  
  
• Switchblade Symphony
  Switchblade Symphony
  Switchblade Symphony was a San Francisco, United States–based band which was formed in 1989 by composer Susan Wallace and vocalist Tina Root. They released their first album in 1995 on the Cleopatra Records label...
  
  

T

• Theatre of Hate
  Theatre of Hate
  Theatre of Hate were a post-punk band formed in Britain in 1980.Led by singer-songwriter and ex-member of punk band The Pack, Kirk Brandon, the original group also consisted of: guitarist Steve Guthrie, bassist Stan Stammers , saxophonist John Lennard and drummer Luke Rendle from Crisis/The...
  
  
• Theatre of Ice
  Theatre of Ice
  Theatre of Ice were an early Deathrock band that formed in the Nevada desert in December 1978. Initially formed to record a soundtrack for a horror movie, the members instead evolved into what some claim was the first Deathrock band...
  
  
• This Mortal Coil
  This Mortal Coil
  This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom...
  
  
• Tones on Tail
  Tones on Tail
  Tones on Tail was an "eclectic" musical side project of Daniel Ash of Bauhaus, along with art school friend, flatmate, and "Bauhaus roadie" Glenn Campling in 1982. After the breakup of Bauhaus in 1983, they were joined by drummer Kevin Haskins. Their music was described by one critic as...
  
  
• Two Witches
  Two Witches
  Two Witches is a Gothic rock band from Finland, formed in 1987. As several other late 80's bands , Two Witches started basing main part of their apparences and lyrics to the vampire imagenery...